How to Determine the Average of a Group of Numbers
Finding the average of a group of numbers, also called the arithmetic mean, allows you to approximate the central tendency of a group of data. Arithmetic means are used in many applications, such as grade point averages and per capita gross domestic product, or GDP. For example, if you get three equally weighted test grades of 90, 85 and 93, your final grade will be 89.3. Calculating the average of a group of numbers is simple.
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Instructions
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Add all the numbers in the group. For example, if the group consists of 8, 7, 9 and 12, sum the numbers to 36.
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Count the number of terms, or numbers, in the group. For example, there are four numbers in the group 8, 7, 9 and 12.
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Divide the sum of the numbers by the number of terms. For example, dividing 36 by 4 equals 9.
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Tips & Warnings
Outliers, or data points that are far away from the rest of the group, will skew the arithmetic mean. Using other measures of central tendency, such as median or mode, may sometimes be more accurate than the mean.
